FIBER
ARTS

at

SOMA
Wild Mushroom Camp

Jan
15 ~ 17, 2011

Occidental,
CA

This year
SOMA Wild Mushroom Camp 2011, (sponsored by the SOnoma
CountyMycologicalAssn.)offered
6 classes related to mushroom dyes: "Introduction
to Mushroom Dyes" with Tina Wistrom, " "Intermediate
Mushroom Dyes", "Advanced Mushroom Dyes/Open Studio" with
Dorothy Beebee."Felting" workshops
(which included shaped bowls and Needle felting) were
again led by Marilyn Buss. "Shibori"
silk dyeing with mushrooms and "Coiled
Basketry" with mushroom dyed yarn were two
new classes offered by Gail Still this year enhancing
SOMA's exciting fungal Fiber Arts Program!

MUSHROOM
DYEING WORKSHOPS

Tina
Wistrom took the reins in the Introductory
Mushroom Dye Class on Sunday morning, introducing
beginners to the finer points of collecting mushrooms
and preparing them for the dyepot.

Dermocybe
semi-sanguinea were collected
in Florence Oregon and donated by Anna Moore, but Omphalotus
olivascens,Dermocybe
phoenicea, Dermocybe cinnamomea, Sarcodon fuscoindicus,
Gymnopilus spectabilis,Phaeolus schweinitzii, and Pisolithus
tinctorius were all found
in Sonoma County and the S.F. Bay Area.

Some of the fungi
were collected at various forays around the CYO Camp,
and contributed to the dye classes in progress. The
"Intermediate Mushroom Dye" class taught by Dorothy Beebee
emphasized the process of mordanting and pH changes, and
the Advanced
"Dye your Own" free-for-all encouraged experenced
dyers to bring their own fibers and experiment on their
own with all of the left over dyes. This included
dyeing the silver hair of the instructor with Pisolithus
tinctorius!

Dermocybe
semi-sanguinea is very distinctive with its
iridescent red gills, golden brown silky cap and yellow
stalk, found in pine habitat usually in the company of
other shrubs such as huckleberry, salal, and/or manzanita.
It produces very light-fast blood red dyes with an alum
mordant, and dark purple with iron. Anna Moore from
Oregon supplied us with a good quantity of these dried dyers!

The Pisolithus
tinctorius puffball is a treasure of unlimited dark brown to bronze
and gold dyes on wool and silk, using both alum and iron
mordants, or without any mordant at all. It is best
to use this fungus outdoors because of its highly odoriferous
hydrophobic spores! It also makes a great hair dye...

SHIBORI
with MUSHROOM DYES

FELTING
WORKSHOP

Marilyn
Buss is an enthusiastic student of mushroom dyeing and felting. She
led the popular workshop on FELTING again
this year at SOMA Camp, incorporating mushroom dyed yarns and
fleece. Ten
people participated in the felt-making workshop and made bowls or bags
using a technique of seamless felting around a form. The
felt works were decorated with mushroom-dyed fiber which had been prepared
in the morning dye workshop. Some favorite colors were the lavender
from Omphalotus olivascens and
the beautiful rust from Pisolithus
tinctorius.

The afternoon "Open
Studio Felting" workshop concentrated
on NEEDLE FELTING , resulting in some
very innovative and delightvul sculpted mushrooms.

Felt
being made around a form. During the felting process netting is used
to contain the fibers while hot, soapy water is rubbed in.

Felt
bowl still on the form, ready to be opened into its final
shape.

NEEDLE FELTING

Finished
bowl below is drying with a small towel tucked inside to help hold
its shape.